Facebook etiquette is unwritten but implicit, study says

Announcing big news on Facebook— a birth, a death or a marriage — before telling close friends and family has always been an unwritten faux pas on the social networking site.

The top 5 most important Facebook friendship rules

1. I should expect a response from this person if I post on his/her profile

2. I should NOT say anything disrespectful about this person on Facebook

3. I should consider how a post might negatively impact this person’s relationships.

4. If I post something that this person deletes, I should not repost it.

5. I should communicate with this person outside of Facebook.

Posting a public photo of a friend canoodling with someone who isn’t her significant other is also on the unofficial list of reprehensible online etiquette, not to mention a threat to even the strongest of friendships.

Even though these behavioural rules are unwritten, they are implicitly understood by Facebook users who care about maintaining their online friendships, says a new study out of Arizona State University.

“There’s no handbook for how to use Facebook. There isn’t an instruction manual telling you how to act, how to behave,” said Jennifer Marmo, a 28-year-old doctoral candidate at Arizona State, and a co-author of the study.

“There have to be some implicit rules that keep people using the site…. We wanted to know: What are those rules that no one teaches?”

The study, which appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, generated a list that offers a glimpse inside the nuanced interactions of social media users, where rules are understood but not necessarily discussed.

Using data gleaned from focus groups with university students at a U.S. school, the authors came up with a list of guidelines.

The students in six groups (two male, two female and two with both genders) were asked to brainstorm a list of rules that might dictate how users interact on Facebook.

The authors analyzed the data and came up with 138 rules. Some rules were combined because they were too similar. Any rules that didn’t prompt agreement from at least two focus groups were taken off the list.

That left 36.

Roughly 800 students between the ages of 18 and 52 were then asked via online survey which of the rules were the most important.

The top rule was an expectation that if you post on someone’s profile, they should respond. The second most important rule is not being disrespectful to friends on Facebook.

The third rule expects users to consider how what they post will impact someone on Facebook.

Related

While Facebook has a terms agreement that forbids obvious violations like hate speech or pornography, it’s up to users to navigate how they’ll cope with a cousin who insists on tagging them in unflattering photos.

Among the 36 initial rules published by the study are prohibitions against mixing Facebook with your professional life: Don’t let Facebook interfere with getting your work done. Remember information a friend posts about you can have real world consequences.

But the rules quickly get complex. Another rule urges users to wish their close friend happy birthday off of Facebook. Users should also monitor their photos to make sure they are flattering. If a friend deletes or untags themself from a photo or post, do not repost it.

One is downright ominous: Always realize that Facebook can expose lies you have told people.

“Obviously, people have an issue with deception and identity,” Ms. Marmo said.

“It’s not like (a dating site) where maybe you can present yourself in a more fabricated manner. Your friends are going to keep you in check if you post something that’s not true.”

Employers have started hiring third parties to research a potential candidate’s suitability for a job on Facebook, she said.

“Unfortunately, students are not catching on as quickly as we hope … that you shouldn’t be posting your keg stand on Facebook every weekend,” Ms. Marmo said.

“It pretty much aligns with what we’d expect, but it’s fascinating that it’s all implicit … it just emerged out of the site.”

Erin Bryant, also a doctoral candidate at Arizona State, is a co-author of the study.

36 Facebook friendship rules:

Project yourself in a manner others would want to be associated with.

Don’t post anything that will hurt a friend’s image.

Don’t post anything that will hurt a friend’s career.

Don’t post anything that will hurt a friend’s relationships.

Respond immediately when someone leaves you a Facebook message.

Expect an immediate response from others when you post on their profiles.

Use privacy settings to control each friend’s level of access to your profile